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The primary function of the respiratory system is to help you breathe, supplying your body with oxygen and expelling carbon dioxide
The primary function of the respiratory system is to help you breathe, supplying your body with oxygen and expelling carbon dioxide.
Learn more about what your respiratory system does, what organs are involved, and what disease can affect its ability to do its job.
8 functions of the respiratory system
- Gas exchange: During this process, air moves in and out of the lungs, continuously refreshing gases in the air sacs. Oxygen enters the body and is carried to the cells of the body, where it is exchanged for carbon dioxide and expelled via the lungs. This process is essential to maintain oxygen saturation in body tissues.
- Maintaining body pH: Cells are active hubs of biochemical reactions that sustain life, and these cells require a specific pH to work. The lungs and the respiratory system maintain pH levels by regulating bicarbonate and hydrogen ion levels.
- Sense of smell and taste: The nasal passages and the olfactory system help the body perceive smell. Because taste and smell are interlinked, the respiratory system helps the body perceive taste as well.
- Immune function: The respiratory system has immunoglobulin A type of antibodies (surface antibodies) and an inherent local immune system, which plays a role in immunity and sensitization. The respiratory immune response is made up of multiple types of cellular responses (both innate and acquired) that are engaged in a sequential manner to control infections. The respiratory tract protects the body from pathogen invasion. Airway epithelial cells secrete antibodies, enzymes, peptides, and small oxidative molecules that inhibit pathogenic colonization. Furthermore, some of the epithelial cells secrete mucus to trap larger dust particles. The respiratory system contains specialized lymphoid tissue capable of producing lymphocytes as a first-line defense. Coughing and sneezing are also important mechanisms to fight infections because they remove large amounts of bacteria or viruses trapped in mucus.
- Drug metabolism: Drugs such as inhaled anesthetics and asthma medications are often metabolized in the lungs and then expelled from the body.
- Blood pressure control: Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) plays a central role in generating angiotensin II from angiotensin I, which has a role in blood pressure control. The lungs as well as the capillary blood vessels are some of the major sites of ACE expression and angiotensin II production in the body.
- Production of sounds: An intact upper respiratory system (pharynx and trachea) is needed to produce sounds. This permits speaking, coughing, sneezing, and swallowing.
- Surfactant production: Lung epithelial cells produce surfactant, which aids in the process of inhalation and exhalation. Adequate surfactant production by fetal lung cells is a critical requirement for viability in preterm births.
What are the parts of the respiratory system?
The respiratory system is divided into two sections.
- Upper respiratory tract
- Lower respiratory tract
Upper respiratory tract
- Mouth and nose: Air enters the body through the mouth and nose. Mucus secretions and hairs in the nose warm, moisten, and filter the air.
- Larynx or voice box: The larynx is located at the very top of the trachea and has vocal cords. When breathing in, air travels through the larynx, trachea, and lungs. When exhaling, air travels from the lungs up the trachea and out the nose and mouth. The vocal cords tighten and move closer together when speaking. Air from the lungs causes the vocal cords to vibrate, generating sound.
- Trachea: The trachea is the tube that connects the mouth, nose, and lungs.
Lower respiratory tract
- Bronchial tubes: In the lungs, the trachea divides into two bronchial tubes. These are the left and right bronchus. The bronchial tubes continue to branch off into smaller and smaller tubes called bronchi. Cilia, which are fine hair-like structures, line the tubes. Mucus is carried upward by the cilia as they sway back and forth to the trachea, where it can be coughed up or swallowed.
- Alveoli: Alveoli are air sacs located at the ends of the bronchial tubes, resembling grape bunches. This is the point at which oxygen enters the blood and carbon dioxide exits. Each lung contains approximately 300 million alveoli.
- Lungs: The lungs are composed of pink, spongy lobes, three to the right and two on the left. The heart is located between them, slightly to the left.
- Diaphragm: The diaphragm is a long, flat muscle located beneath the lungs. By moving up and down, it helps get air in and out of the lungs. The diaphragm moves down when breathing in and up when breading out.
QUESTION
COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) is the same as adult-onset asthma.
See Answer
What are common diseases of the respiratory system?
Diseases of the respiratory tract can develop as a result of:
- Obstruction in the airway
- Constriction of the passages
- Loss of the large surface area of the alveoli for gas exchange
- Problems with the capillaries that surround the alveoli, which could be either from clots or altered cardiac function.
Long-term conditions or short-term infections include:
Common cold
- The common cold is caused by a variety of viruses, with rhinoviruses being the most diverse and common cause of this complaint.
- It is typically an upper respiratory tract infection, but it can occasionally spread to the ears or lower respiratory structures as well.
- The infection is spread through direct contact with an infected person, particularly through nasal discharges.
- This is especially difficult to prevent because a person is infected before they show symptoms.
- Viruses typically contact nose cells, which then produce a clear liquid to trap and expel these microorganisms from the body.
- This is followed by sneezing and coughing, particularly if the virus has spread further into the airway.
- Coughing up thick, yellow or green sputum indicates that these microbes are being attacked by the host's immune system.
- Antibiotics are ineffective against viral infections, and symptoms usually resolve within a week.
Tuberculosis
- Tuberculosis (TB) is at the other end of the spectrum of infectious diseases of the respiratory tract.
- It is a bacterial infection caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis that, prior to the development of powerful antibiotics, could often result in death.
- The infection spreads through the transmission of live bacteria from infected people, particularly through oral and nasal discharge.
- Because the bacterium is hardy and can survive in a desiccated state for many months, the illness can quickly spread to epidemic proportions in areas with high population density or during a prolonged cold season in which people stay indoors and interact closely with one another.
- Many healthy children and adults can recover from infections without showing any symptoms, and only a blood test can confirm that an infection has occurred.
- Immunocompromised people, such as infants, the elderly, or those suffering from autoimmune diseases, are more vulnerable to the recurrence of this illness.
- Treatment usually entails taking multiple antibiotics over a long period.
Lung cancer
- Lung cancer is the development of a malignant tumor in the lungs, which is associated with uncontrolled cell growth within the tissues and metastasis to other organs within the body.
- Smoking, especially when started at a young age, is the most significant risk factor of lung cancer.
- Though tobacco smoking is responsible for more than 80% of lung cancer cases, any chemical that repeatedly irritates the delicate inner linings of the lung can result in the formation of a tumor. Asbestos, chromium, nickel, radon gas, uranium dust, and coal dust are examples.
- The bone is the most common site of lung cancer metastasis. As a result, advanced stages of the disease include bone pain.
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How does COVID-19 affect the respiratory system?
One of the most serious ways that COVID-19 affects the respiratory system is by attacking the lungs, where the virus reaches a dangerous level and mimics sinus infection symptoms.
There are a few serious respiratory diseases that can be caused directly by the virus:
- Pneumonia: Pneumonia caused by COVID-19 has very serious symptoms, causing long-term effects. Breathing difficulties may persist for months after pneumonia has resolved, frequently mimicking asthma and symptoms of a sinus infection.
- Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS): ARDS is a type of lung failure characterized by shortness of breath that can occur as a result of severe pneumonia. Those who have the disease and watch it progress this far may develop permanent pulmonary scarring.
- Sepsis: Sepsis is a serious complication that occurs when the infection spreads to the bloodstream and causes long-term damage to the body's tissues. Like ARDS, it can cause long-term damage to organs, particularly the lungs.
- Multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS): Septic shock can trigger an unprecedented immune response that causes damage to the kidneys, liver, brain cells, and other organs.
In each case, the resulting damage may be severe and last longer than the disease that caused it. It is critical to understand each of these complications so that if a person starts to experience symptoms, they can notify their doctor immediately.